PUNK 57
Genre: New Adult Romance
Author: Penelope Douglas
Release Date: October 21, 2016
“We were perfect together. Until we met.”
Misha
I can’t help but smile at the words in her letter. She misses me.
In fifth grade, my teacher set us up with pen pals from a different school. Thinking I was a girl, with a name like Misha, the other teacher paired me up with her student, Ryen. My teacher, believing Ryen was a boy like me, agreed.
It didn’t take long for us to figure out the mistake. And in no time at all, we were arguing about everything. The best take-out pizza. Android vs. iPhone. Whether or not Eminem is the greatest rapper ever…
And that was the start. For the next seven years, it was us.
Her letters are always on black paper with silver writing. Sometimes there’s one a week or three in a day, but I need them. She’s the only one who keeps me on track, talks me down, and accepts everything I am.
We only had three rules. No social media, no phone numbers, no pictures. We had a good thing going. Why ruin it?
Until I run across a photo of a girl online. Name’s Ryen, loves Gallo’s pizza, and worships her iPhone. What are the chances?
F*ck it. I need to meet her.
I just don’t expect to hate what I find.
Ryen
He hasn’t written in three months. Something’s wrong. Did he die? Get arrested? Knowing Misha, neither would be a stretch.
Without him around, I’m going crazy. I need to know someone is listening. It’s my own fault. I should’ve gotten his number or picture or something.
He could be gone forever.
Or right under my nose, and I wouldn’t even know it.
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We were perfect together. Until we met.”
Ever since I read Bully, I became an instant Penelope Douglas fan. The woman speaks right to my inner angst junky. It certainly doesn’t hurt matters that she also manages to create the perfect alphahole heroes in every book I read by her. Having loved her Falling Away series and all the others as well, to say that this book is right up there with Bully for me is a lot. Because Bully continues to be one of my top favorites by her. But there was also an underlying message to this book that I loved. That in addition to the incredible writing, the fantastic characters, the delicious angst, and the oh so sexy romance combined to be one of my top reads for the year.
I think we all have a point in our life where we didn’t feel comfortable in our own skin; where being accepted even if it means suppressing your real self a little feels like the easiest thing to do. A time where your peer’s opinions of you feel like the most important thing and acceptance is everything. No one is born full comfortable with themselves and being able to do what’s right even if that means going against the grain, but the road to getting there is the most interesting one.
Ryen is not a heroine that you want to like. What I mean is, here’s someone that’s the exact opposite of your usual heroine. She’s popular, she’s quiet when the weak are being picked on, and she suppresses her real self for the warmth of acceptance that she gets from people that aren’t even truly her friends. But there’s also something about this character that clicks with you. You can’t help but connect with her and understand her on some level, because at one time or another we’ve all been in her shoes.
Ryen and Misha have been pen pals for years, and while they know each other’s deepest and darkest thoughts, they have no idea who the other really is or what they look like. That doesn’t stop them from developing an incredible connection through their letters…until Misha gets a real peak at who Ryen is and everything changes.
Misha is a grade A asshole in the beginning and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love every page of it. Douglas has this gift for writing some of the sexiest alphaholes I’ve ever read. Yes, they’re mean and you want to slap them at times, but you also understand what drives them to be that way and you can’t help but love them anyway.
The angst is off the charts good. For those that are like myself and enjoy that burn of sexual tension with a bit of hate/lust, you will devour every page and beg for more. And the sexual chemistry?
This is so much more than a sexy NA romance, however. It’s a story of learning to love and accept yourself. A story of learning to stand up for what you believe is right even if no one stands up with you. It’s a story of friendship and love. It’s an emotional rollercoaster that you never want to get off of and a romance between two people that don’t make sense together on paper but couldn’t be more right for each other. It’s dark and light, it’s love and hate. It’s complete and utter perfection.
If you’re a fan of Penelope Douglas and you enjoyed her Fall Away series and you want another taste of her Devil’s Night world, this is an absolute must read. If you love angsty NA romances with a H/h that you will love to hate and just flat out love, this is an absolute must read. If you’re a fellow angst whore like me, then this is an absolute must read. Basically, what I’m trying to tell you here is READ THIS BOOK!! You won’t regret a second of it.
THE GOAL
Time out. Did anyone else just have a pervy hot flash here? No? Seriously? You’re a bunch of lying liars, is what you are. You totally did. Admit it. That line right there just totally revved your engines.
Sabrina is driven and highly independent. She doesn’t want or need a man, unless it’s for one night of tension relief. But that all changes when the man is Tucker, because Tucker wants more than a few orgasms from her, and he’s not hesitant to show her what she’s missing. Did I mention I adored Tucker?
I have a problem, and his name is Walker. It’s a problem because HE’S NOT IN MY PANTS RIGHT NOW! I’ve been indifferent of the long hair/man bun. I can usually take it or leave it, but in this case, I’ll take it!
Trinity is adorable and spunky. She is an artist, but she isn’t up in the clouds. She knows who she is, and she knows what she wants. She is a little flighty but in a charming way. She tries to warn Walker that she is a lot of work, but he is the perfect man up for the challenge of all that is Trinity, and he takes pleasure in every single moment.
My instincts had screamed at me that she was trouble. My instincts were wrong. She wasn’t trouble. I was. Still Am.
Oh my god.
Psych!!! I’m just bluffin with my muffin. You’ll get no spoilers outta me, so don’t even try.[/su_spoiler]
Wow. Before I get to my review, let me say this. Don’t let my rating fool you. This book had me riveted to the story from beginning to finish. Aside from a few quibbles that I had, the story itself was beautiful. It drew me in from the very first chapter and kept me glued to the pages. The author clearly has an incredible talent and I strongly believe she has great things ahead of her. While this may not have been a full four star read for me, it was a damn solid 3 and I’ll get to my reasons why shortly.
Kelley Moore has grown up in a way that no boy should ever have to endure. From a volatile home life to numerous tragedies throughout his life, he’s never had it easy. He dreams of making it big in football and making it out on his own.
What starts as stolen encounters soon turns into something more only to shatter before their eyes and leave both of them grasping at the jagged pieces.
Chasing Butterflies is told in two parts: past (high school) and present (college). The first half is almost 60% of the story and so emotionally gripping I forgot at times that I’m reading about teenagers. I’m not typically a fan of YA but yet something about these characters simply stood out for me.
Let’s talk about things that trigger my one-clicker for a second here, shall we?
As for that ending? Well let’s just say I may or may not be rocking myself in a corner as we speak while I wait for July 25 to finally get here
You know when you read the first book in a series and you love it so much that you don’t think anything can top it, but then you read the second and you love it just as much? So then you know that the chances of that continue to hold for the 3rd book are slim, right? In my experience, it’s tough to keep that sort of momentum going…unless, of course, you’re Elle Kennedy. Because not only was The Score absolutely fantastic, but it turned out to be my favorite in the series. And considering how much I loved the previous two books, that’s saying something.
What I love about Elle’s writing, is the depth that she gives her characters. And Dean certainly was no exception. He may be the hard partying manwhore with a crass sense of humor, but beneath that perfect exterior there’s so much more to him and you really get to see it blossom here.
I’ve been waiting for the lead singer of Non-Castrato to get his book since he first made an appearance in 
But things rarely go as planned, and while the plan was to rip her mask off as soon as she rocked her addition, she ends up with a chance of a lifetime that she just can’t pass up. But when she begins falling for the lead singer, things get a whole lot more complicated…
Rebecca Yarros and her Flight & Glory series has been on my radar for a while. In my usual way of doing things backasswards, when I got the chance to read Beyond What Is Given, I jumped on it, even before I read the previous books. With that said, I never found myself lost and had no problems getting into the story. BUT, I do wish I read the previous two books simply because I completely adored those characters in this book and found myself curious about their story. So I plan on going back and reading the previous books immediately.
Grayson’s secret begins to come to light little by little, and you soon realized that the baggage that this man carries may be too much for even self-assured Sam. But you also can’t help but fall for him completely. The push and pull dynamic between them grabbed me from the beginning. Grayson clearly wants Sam, but he knows he can’t have her. His secret prevent him from giving himself fully even when Sam is quickly falling for him.
As much as I love angst in my books, and the angst here was thick. At the same time, I prefer the angst to come from the couple and not added from outside influences. What am I talking about? Grayson’s family. Sweet mother of all that’s holy but the last time I hated a hero’s sister this much I was reading an Abbi Glines book. I absolutely HATED Parker. And the further the book progressed, the more strongly I began to hate her. And that only got so much worse when the whole truth was revealed. In addition to her sticking her nose into Grayson’s business there was also his father. All of it combined with the already heavy subject of Grayson’s secret and Sam’s past and it was almost too much. Don’t get me wrong, the author did make it work, but for me it was just a little too much.
